SEMINAR: The role of mechanism in behavioural ecology: sex allocation as a paradigm

Much of behavioural ecology theory has been developed assuming little in the way of genetic or mechanistic detail. Indeed, no doubt much of the success of the behavioural ecology approach has come from providing general predictions about behaviour. However, behavioural ecologists are often exhorted to pay greater attention to such details. Ultimately the role of mechanism in behavioural ecology is an empirical question: how often will our predictions change with a greater understanding of the mechanistic details of behaviour? I approach this question using faculative sex allocation in the parasitoid wasp Nasonia vitripennis. Nasonia allocates sex in line with predictions of Local Mate Competition (LMC) theory. I will explore the extent to which our growing understanding of the genetic basis of sex allocation in Nasonia informs our understanding of LMC theory and under what circumstances predictions might need to change.